Council to take action on Ennersdale Road

Editor's Rating

We’ve recently had a response from Lewisham Council’s traffic officers to the issues we raised about road safety in Hither Green.

The Council traffic officers are proposing actions in two area – the latter still subject to approval by the Mayor and Cabinet:

(a) To make improvements to the junction of Ennersdale and Nightingale Grove during the current financial year (2014/15). They’ve singled this junction out as it has the worst personal injury accident record and they believe improvements can be made quickly with minimal impact on local residents. Improvements here to slow traffic should have an impact further down the road too – at the notoriously dangerous junction with Leahurst road – so this is good news. We’ve asked exactly what this will entail, or at least the options they are considering – will keep you updated when we get more detail.

(b) Carry out a study of the rest of the route/junctions we raised with them (including Manor Park, Staplehurst/ Longhurst) in 2015/16, with a view to making improvements. The Council have said they will consult with local residents, businesses etc as part of this process. They have also allowed a provisional sum for implementing the improvements in 2016/17 which will need to be reviewed against the results of the study. The latter is not yet a done deal – the Mayor and Cabinet will consider the proposal for the study on 3rd September 2014. We will need to hear from them exactly the area they propose to look at – and ensure it covers all the key junctions raised as problematic, on both sides of the railway tracks.

It is great that we should soon see some improvements to Ennersdale, which has caused so many issues for local residents. Obviously, it would be nice if improvements to the other routes could be made sooner. But given the generalised problem with the quantity, speed and approach of traffic throughout the area, a strategic approach sounds sensible. We will be looking to work closely with the Council to ensure this happens, and reflects local people’s concerns.

Thanks go to Councillor Jim Mallory for pushing this up the agenda – we will report back on progress soon.